by George Stoffan

The important attention given to tonal exercises when returning to practicing after an extended break will also serve one’s technique. Building back one’s technique should not be considered separately from the approach to sound production. One’s attention to sound complements the work on technique in significant ways.

The first step in planning a routine is to understand that the process can be overwhelming. There will be the tendency to want to “get it all back quickly” by doing a lot of fast playing. In fact, one should reserve the fast playing for the end of the process. In the beginning, it is important to approach technique in a minimalist way. Doing a few exercises well, with focus and concentration on the “technique of the technique,” will prove to be more efficient. “Less is more” is a helpful mindset with regard to technique when returning from an extended break.

A focused approach to a singular technical passage can be effective and efficient. In the absence of any specific passage, scales can serve this role. Scales are important because they represent the basis for understanding keys, relative pitch, and developing a good sense of relative pitch. However, scales also serve as the foundation of building technique at any point in time.

Regardless of whether or not one is playing within a season or academic year, or returning to the instrument after a break, it is more important to focus on the control of the fingers than the speed. In building off tonal exercises, one should remember to use the air in the same way when finger motion is involved. The focused air column and speed will enhance the response of each note, and that, in turn, better enables the coordination of the fingers. The motion of the air between notes generates the legato that serves the finger motion. It is helpful to begin with single finger movements between two notes of any scale, for instance, by playing two half notes at 60 beats per minute back-and-forth several times. This simple exercise will allow for attention to the fingers and the motion, in combination with the principles of good sound production. One should pay attention to keeping the fingers close, curved, and relaxed, and over the tone holes when not covering them. The release should be slow enough to demonstrate a smooth connection, but not so slow so that the result is a natural finger glissando. However, one alternative exercise is to purposely aim for this finger glissando. The very slow motion of the finger, or fingers, when a larger interval is involved, requires a high level of control in the movement of the fingers. Outside of this intentional glissando exercise, the motion should be crisp enough for clarity, but not so quick that the result is a finger accent. The return to the tone holes should involve recoiling the finger, or fingers, so that they are centered over the center of the tone holes. The lifting of the fingers can be described as an easy release, and the return of the fingers can be described as soft landings. This exercise can be extended to three and four note patterns, and in any key.

After one develops some technique on the clarinet, playing fast is often not an issue. The challenge is playing with control and in a coordinated way so that every note is even, well-placed, and clearly heard, even in the fastest of passages. When we take breaks from the instrument, our fingers often feel “spongy.” This is the feeling that comes with a lack of control. The controlled motion and movement of the fingers is what is lost, and the most difficult to regain. We are trying to build back the control of the fingers. These exercises help us gain our control more effectively and more quickly. The speed will follow from the emphasis and attention given to control and regaining that control.

Long tone work is related to sound technique. There is a natural progression in how the approach to air and embouchure, and sound production in general, connect with building back one’s technique. Applying concepts of sound production to slow note-to-note work and eventually to slow scales should be the model for how we think about technique at the start. In continuing to phrase and sing through scales, or any technical passage, we generate a legato that serves the controlled motion of our fingers, at all speeds. With a focus on the “technique of your technique” in this way, from long tones to the performance of our scales and technical passages, the control will return, and the coordination and speed will follow. This is also a good approach in day-to-day work. However, the focus on the control and coordination has to be consistent and deliberate over a more extended period of time when returning from a break from the instrument.